"Hmph, I have one. Look."
Unaware of Chang Yuan's disappointment, Elysia conjured a pink crystal flower in her hand.
"This is my ability. Like a fairy's magic, isn't it beautiful?"
She handed the pink crystal flower to Chang Yuan, smiling softly.
Looking at the crystal flower, Chang Yuan tried to squeeze it gently.
But it didn't budge at all.
This was to be expected. In the original story, these crystals had saved Fu Hua's life from Kevin's Judgment of Shamash.
During the tragedy of the Herrscher of Binding, if Elysia hadn't intervened to save Fu Hua, she would have been among the casualties.
"It's really hard. I can't even make a dent without using full strength."
"You! I gave it to you to admire, not to crush! If you break it, you'll regret it!"
Hearing Chang Yuan try to crush her crystal flower, Elysia was not pleased.
This was her first pink crystal flower, a meaningful keepsake, and all he cared about was its hardness?
This made Elysia a little upset.
"Ahem, it was just a reflex. But I'm keeping this crystal flower as a memento."
Clutching the crystal flower to his chest, Chang Yuan had no intention of returning it.
Seeing this, Elysia nodded in satisfaction. She had intended to give it to him anyway, but his earlier attempt to crush it had annoyed her.
"Then take good care of it. I'll check on it from time to time. If even a single petal is missing, hmph, you're no match for me."
Elysia waved her pink fist playfully, threatening him in the most adorable way.
Her threat was utterly ineffective.
Not only did her cuteness make the threat seem empty, but Chang Yuan also knew Elysia would never actually hurt him—unless he did something completely unacceptable.
"Elysia, give me a crystal to study." x2
Almost simultaneously, two voices rang out.
The speakers were Mobius, who had watched the entire scene, and Vill-V, who had only caught the tail end of it.
"Sure, here you go."
Unlike the pink crystal flower she had given to Chang Yuan, Elysia handed Mobius and Vill-V each a prismatic crystal.
"Alright, Mobius, I know what you're here for. Did you bring the materials?"
After storing the crystal, Vill-V turned to Mobius.
In response, Mobius tossed a vial of gene serum to Vill-V.
Catching it effortlessly, Vill-V didn't say another word and headed back into the Spiral Workshop's operating room.
Mobius quickly followed.
And so, the two were left alone again.
"So, Elysia, can I—"
"Yuan, I just remembered I promised Himeko to meet her new team members. See you later!"
Without giving Chang Yuan a chance to finish, Elysia quickly excused herself and ran off.
Leaving Chang Yuan standing alone in the Spiral Workshop, utterly bewildered.
"..."
Damn it! That damn Mobius! It's so hard to get a second chance like that.
Losing the opportunity to take his relationship with Elysia to the next level, Chang Yuan's heart ached.
But as the saying goes, "What's meant to be will be."
Chang Yuan wasn't too fixated on it.
After all, if there was a first chance, wouldn't a second or third be just around the corner?
Moreover, it was clear that Elysia's feelings for him were already changing.
Perhaps one day in the future, it could really happen.
But the most important thing was still defeating the Herrscher of the End. Otherwise, everything else would be meaningless.
"Sigh, it's just that I didn't gain any ability. That's a bit of a letdown. If the Flame-Chasers end up with fourteen members, will I only rank above Pardofelis?"
Thinking of that possibility, Chang Yuan shuddered.
How embarrassing! If he ended up ranked just above Pardofelis, he'd probably go down as the most pathetic transmigrator in history.
"No, I need to see how much my strength has improved."
With that, Chang Yuan headed to the training area used by Fire Moth soldiers.
There, Vill-V had developed a holographic projection system with a 99.99% realism rate.
It could be used for combat simulations, and while it could be deadly, it also allowed for immediate termination.
Arriving there, many greeted Chang Yuan.
After all, he was the second most powerful figure in Fire Moth. If they encountered him on the battlefield, they might receive some favor.
Entering the holographic combat room, Chang Yuan chose to project the Judgment-class Honkai beast, Naga.
Thankfully, Fire Moth was wealthy enough to have a large enough space for the projection, or else Naga's full form might not have fit.
Looking at the nearly kilometer-long serpent, Chang Yuan couldn't help but marvel.
He then decided to engage Naga bare-handed.
Compared to before, when his punches could only dent Naga's scales, now his punches left gaping holes in its body.
"My strength has more than doubled. What about the rest?"
Chang Yuan then proceeded to test his other attributes.
Endurance, speed, reflexes, recovery—everything.
The results were satisfying. Except for recovery, all his attributes had improved several times over.
His recovery had also improved, but not enough for limb regeneration. However, he could reattach severed limbs and have them heal properly.
After hours of relentless punching, Naga's size shrank to just a few dozen meters before finally dying.
"Wow, even this can be simulated. Vill-V, you're a freaking genius."
Exiting the holographic combat room, Chang Yuan grabbed a few bottles of saline solution and drank them.
With his enhanced physiology, he wasn't worried about the side effects of the saline.
After replenishing his lost salts, Chang Yuan had a clear understanding of his current strength.
He was stronger than Kevin as a MANTIS soldier, thanks to his solid foundation. But if both were wielding Divine Keys, he might not be a match for Kevin.
After all, the Judgment of Shamash seemed tailor-made for Kevin. Anyone else using it would likely die after one shot.
So, the most destructive Divine Key was something only Kevin could wield perfectly.
The combination of the two was far greater than the sum of its parts.
But Chang Yuan wasn't too bothered by this.